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It's a long weekend, and crazy parties are aplenty. The long weekend however, is also the perfect time to catch up on some wedding planning. Here's something so ra-ra-rebellious to help you think of creative ideas for your big (and hopefully rebellious) day.

I'm not saying you have to put your hair down to be rebellious. There are ways an updo can look non-trad but I really am more partial to cascading hair. It just looks so...carefree!

But trust me, a lot of people will warn you that having your hair down is NOT classic and they would rather you choose an updo like a bun (as in ho-hum Ms. Tapya bun). If you really feel it in your heart that you're not the bun kind of girl, then stand your ground and tell your stylist you want your hair down.

There is a downside. If it's windy and you choose to have curls, it will loosen up eventually. If there's humidity, your hair will rebel as well. So the trick is to make sure you are ready for this. Choose the right style and products to use very well.

I had my hair down and asked stylist Vianney Guese to make tight, big curls because it will straighten eventually. He clipped my hair at the back so it won't go to my face but I didn't have hang-ups about my hair looking windblown or a little messy. My only deal was to have A LOT of hair. Thank you extensions!

"A rebellious bride is someone who does not abide by the rules: she sets the rules! She plans the day the way it is suppose to unfold. She chooses to be happy while daring to be extraordinary. Armed with wit and an open heart, she is a bride with a mission: to transcend convention, not for the sake of being rebellious, but simply because she needs to remain faithful to herself."

We are loving the amount of refreshing e-session ideas that we are seeing in Mark Cantalejo's blog lately!

And we sure do hope the weddings are equally as refreshing! We challenge you to channel the same amount of rebelliousness and creativity in your weddings, the same way that you would loosen up when it comes to your e-sessions . I love the simplicity of this idea--an idea which seems simple enough but will make you think "Now why didn't I think of that?!?"

Let me show you Jason and Sam’s e-session which by the way is so unconventional to the regular location-based e-sessions. They both wanted something really different and then the idea that we’ll use a projector for their e-session came up! To project different places on a blank wall and just play and fool around! And boy did we have fun doing this! Sooo much fun!

Awesome e-session from Mark Cantalejo! Here is the story behind this idea, as written by Mark in his blog:

During my initial meeting with Jem & Dianne at a coffee shop, Dianne goes:Dianne: Mark! We were thinking of doing something different for the prenup shoot..Me: Oh that’s great! What did you have in mind? (mind racing with the possibilities of how unique they wanted it to be)Dianne & Jem: We’re into scuba diving and so we thought if it would be possible to do an underwater e-session?Me: Aaah….(Long Pause)Dianne & Jem: No pressure marky…If you think its too much then we can think of something else.

Me grinning: No no no..It sounds really coo00l!!!! I’ve thought about doing something like it before so yeah let’s do this!!! (All the while, I was thinking, I’m really not that good a swimmer and my ability to hold my breath underwater effectively for extremely long periods of time is close to nil! )

A few months ago, we were asked to choose 250 of our favorite photos for Mango Red to post process. What we did was choose just 180 photos and allowed Mango Red to choose the rest of the photos to edit--we did this because we wanted them to have a free hand on which photos they would want to play around with. The result is a refreshing take on our wedding photos! I've seen these photos a thousand times before but I am so amazed at how the photos look so fresh.

An old soul at heart, I love that we have these prints to have and hold. There's nothing quite like actual prints that show you so much more detail and depth into the photos.

Mango Red's photos even in its RAW form are so beautiful as it is--but seeing these edits give me so much more reasons to give Mango Red such high praises and raves!They are the ultimate Rebellious Gang indeed!

I have so many words and ideas on how to introduce this blog post, that I don't even know where to start. Excited much? So allow me to share my thought bubbles one at a time and I hope it will all make sense eventually.

How did you choose your SDE music? I'm being asked by a good friend of mine to suggest a song for their SDE and I am totally clueless. So when Rebellious Bride reader, Rachel Evangelista emailed us, her story couldn't have come in a better time. That's my first thought bubble.

When Mica and I decided to create this blog, we set out to go into this mission to unleash the rebellious side of Pinay brides who are not only stressed with wedding planning but have to contend with accommodating inputs from the Church, the parents, society, friends who all have an opinion on so-called wedding rules. And in just 3 months or so, of launching this blog, we have met so many awesome wedding movers and shakers we admire so much, we have met rebellious brides who have come forward, and future brides that realize just how much rebellious they really want to be. It's totally amazing how this blog has suddenly created a network, a bridge of some sort. Why, just early this year, I watched a Jason Magbanua video that had a rebellious choice for an SDE song that I was so compelled to share it with my friends. And here we are today, with the bride, sharing with us the same video. Second thought bubble.

Last thought bubble. So SDE Music. I understand that it can make or break your SDE. The SDE that you will play over and over again. Naturally, there's pressure on which song to use. But now I think I've finally cracked it. I say, let. go.

"The Mantilla Veil is a win-win situation. There is no denying that this is a traditional veil--and your parents won't be able to contest it. At the same time, it will not suffocate you, and it will still look very chic." -- RB

Whichever way you look at it, a veil is just not practical in this tropical weather.

I don't care if it's "tradition". The way I see it, you should not be forced to wear a veil because:

a) you pay good money for your make-up which will melt by the sheer sight of the veil,

b) it's your big day, and you can barely keep it together and what the veil will do is just add shortness of breath and the feeling of being suffocated (worse, it can also stick to your face and you need to be careful not to step on it),

c) and the reason for a veil is so outdated in these times.

In fact, I have friends who are not of the rebellious kind--and yet they have decided to eventually lose the veil during their big day.

We love that Vera Wang is putting it out there that there is nothing wrong with being a Rebellious Bride. She fought for it in her previous fashion shows (visit our Anti-White blog) and she's still putting a good fight. And we love her for it.

Filipiniana-themed weddings are one of the more popular wedding ideas of the 90s--who can forget the celebrity Filipiniana weddings of Lani Mercado and Bong Revilla or Lorna Tolentino and Rudy Fernandez?

Nowadays, this traditional wedding theme has been deemed outdated and is being replaced by more modern takes like Pinoy Pop or Modern Manila themed weddings. But we still say that Filipiniana-themed weddings rock, especially if you can make it rebellious.

Note to future rebellious brides: There's still something to look forward to, 6 or 8 months after the wedding--and that is your wedding album, especially post-processed and artfully laid out by your photographers just for you. Most photographers will ask you to choose your favorite photos, and depending on how fast you can sift through thousands of raw files, that will also be directly proportional to how fast your album can be given to you.

Mango Red has made a brand out of their wedding albums alone. Meticulously designed and carefully created to ensure its uniqueness, Mango Red launched their 2011 album designs a couple of months ago and each couple can choose which theme or template you would want for your album. The result of which is an album worthy like that of a limited edition release.

In our case, we chose the design that was closest to the feel of our Bora Hop. Mango Red's templates go from the most "tamed" down to the downright rebellious and topak. What makes this album even more rebellious than it already is? We didn't choose the photos that were gonna be laid out. We just completely trusted Mango Red's rebelliousness and creativity to lay it out and pick their own photos in whichever way they wanted it. And here are some of the awesome layouts from the album:

What happens when you mix California Girl's Katy Perry and some Grease Lightnin'? An electrifying prenup shoot!

While some couples choose to go the cheesy route (although being a cavity-inducing couple can still have a rebellious twist like in our Zombie Love entry), Samantha & Mauie chose to add some fizzle and sizzle.

Medieval Weddings have obviously been part of history--but with the recent mainstream success of shows the likes of Game of Thrones which likewise gave the book its own revival, appreciation of fantasy meets medieval has never been more hot. I love the fact that people that have not even as much as pick up a fantasy book before, now has a new-found appreciation for it. And now, rebellious medieval/fantasy weddings are taking center stage as well. Why, just recently we featured a medieval/fantasy wedding by JD & Pika and now here's another one!

Just came from a very exhausting day, yesterday. AND it's 6:30AM and I'm supposedly having to rush to work for a meeting. However, when I received this in my inbox, I knew I just HAD to share the inspiration---now na, now na! :)

Every month, Kate Spade launches their color, and I love the way they do it---with the whole shebang that even comes with a video, a mood board, and of course, their collection. They make for wonderful wedding ideas it makes me feel so giddy so early in the morning! And how very perfectly rebellious as well that they called their color: 80% Charming, 20% Rebellious! Love! So girls, let's go cha-cha-chocolatey! :)

To create a rebellious wedding, you and your groom must be willing to roll up your sleeves and not do anything half-assed (itodo ang topak) to make that day extra special. You have to work on it. You have to inject your personalities and make your wedding day truly your own.

Marc kept the wedding venue a secret up until the invites were out.
He's really good at surprises and it took all my willpower not to reveal the venue to our friends.

Squeeze those creative juices! But first, know what you want before you execute.

I already hear those gears turning in your head. Good luck to all our rebellious readers in your journey to the big day!

It's been a month since our wedding day! So I just had to celebrate with a blog! (So much exclams!)

We wanted our big day to be reflective of our personalities and our relationship. So naturally, we wanted it to be playful! We came up with a playful romantic theme inspired by the movie Little Rascals. As the movie says, “mischief loves company!” And we do have lots of mischief lovin’ family and friends.

Throughout the entire preparation, Marc and I did everything hand in hand (and sometimes even holding hands). He was very involved and had the most awesome ideas (the flash mob and wedding traditions in 60 sec. are some of his ideas). I was really proud of him for always having the enthusiasm to brainstorm with me.

We came up with Little Rascals because Darla and Alfalfa went through a lot, just like us! There were differences, like boys being stinky and girls being all sugar ‘n spice, but they found something in common. There were obstacles, but they eventually ended up together. Plus, Marc can wiggle his ear like Alfalfa! (See Marc's wiggly ears in our SDE at 2:05. Hehe.)

Since the 1st-year anniv is a paper anniversary, a couple of months ago, I told the hubb that for our 1st year anniversary /honeymoon /Elvis Vegas wedding, I wanted to incorporate "something paper" for the wedding like a paper bouquet made out of our Round 1 and Round 2 wedding photos.

However, since I am not as crafty as Rebellious Bride Mica, I gave up on the idea.

Then, boom! I found out that Etsy has soooo many sellers that offer paper bouquets of all shapes and sizes!

Now I can't wait to order mine for the wedding! After reading The Power 7 book, I also have this infatuation with the idea of having my paper bouquet made by Teddy Manuel! (I am such a sucker for these things! I know!). So on a side note what do you guys think? Etsy? or Teddy? (Hey it rhymes! haha)--don't tell me to DIY it. I have not the patience! Hahah!

You guys already know that we are biased on having non-floral bouquets so I won't elaborate on this anymore (Click HERE for related article). Instead, allow me to share with you some of the very many variations on the paper bouquet!

For the romantic and poetic at heart opt for a bouquet made out of different shades of pink paper or a bouquet made out of your favorite book

The sale is basically for Halloween costumes but we say, why not get these head candies for your own wedding instead?

You will definitely be one VERY, totally rebellious, and chic bride if you ever pull off a sailor hat or an animalistic head candy instead of a veil! If it's too much for you, then why not wear it during the reception! Hurry! There's only one stock for each style!

For those who have been with us since time immemorial (wow ah parang matagal na daw, o--hehe), you would know by now that we have various types of Rebellious Series to look forward to every week or every month. There's the regular feature on real-life Rebellious Brides, we have Rebellious Ideas/Themes for your Weddings, the "blasphemous" new wedding thoughts that we'd like for you to contemplate on, and occasionally we have special features which includes The Rebellious Grooms, prenups, works from the Rebellious Bunch, mood boards, etc, etc.

This time around, we present to you another series which we call Random Rebellion--featuring just 1 powerful photo/videofrom any awesome innovatorto serve as an inspiration, to rouse interest, to awaken your Rebellious Spirit.

No two brides are ever alike. Much less FOUR? Our little group for instance, has four ex-brides who can't be any different. Our friends Nina Tanchanco-Cuenca and Anna Montenegro-Antonino were obviously the sophisticated, elegant, chic brides. Mica and I on the other hand, are just plain TOPAK. Haha! But no matter how extreme our weddings all were, we DID manage to agree on one thing--and that was to have rebellious wedding music.

Gone are the days of super duper formal, traditional wedding music.

Your "wedding soundtrack" is a great way to personalize and pump up your big day. If you are even afraid to incorporate anything rebellious in your wedding, this would be the best way to channel it.

Since our little group represents virtually four types of brides, you are sure to pick up an idea or two with the music we each decided on to be part of our weddings :)

Even her wedding music had a theme on its own--she called it "Kisses". So it first started with a rendition of "Kissing" by Bliss which transitioned to Desiree's "Kissing You" for the bridal walk. Nina says:"I chose the song Kissing simply because it sounded blissful. The bridal song is one of our favorite songs since Romeo+Juliet is one of our favorite movies. I surprised Mix with this bridal song :)"

Inspiration from Animation

Anna, wed in May of 2010

had a "Peach & Birdcage" wedding theme.

For their couple's entrance, she chose "Married Life" from the Pixar animation movie, "UP!". Apart from the fact that the song was perfectly titled "Married Life", Anna also opted for the song because she liked the kind of marriage Mr. Fredrickson and his wife Ely had. "And to have the UP Jazz Ensemble, with its 21-piece orchestra play it for me live was really cool for me", Anna adds.

Rebellious Bride Ellen Celis-Timbol's officiator's first words at the start of their ceremony was:"This is the height of wedding innovation".Their photographer, BlackTie Project wrote in their blog:"So far this is the coolest wedding we have covered"

Looking at this wedding gown right here and you might wonder--what is so rebellious about this wedding? Let me tell you---the bride was SO rebellious in fact that she defied the usual bridal gown hullabaloo and donned a TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED PESO GOWN (for the 25% of our International readers, that's FIFTY SIX US DOLLARS).

And that's not all my friends. She wouldn't settle for anything less than BLACK OUTFITS for all the guests and the entourage. You think that's already the height of her rebelliousness? No my dears--she asked everyone and we mean everyone to DANCE on the aisle--and that includes the pastor. And what of the bride? No, not a dance. She was a SINGING REBELLIOUS BRIDE who walked down the aisle.

In our About Us page, one of the things we said about why we created this blog apart from igniting the rebellious side of traditional Pinay brides is the fact that we are huge fans of the Philippine wedding industry.

So when we got invited to the book launch of The Power 7 (thanks to our ever awesome friends Madge Landrito and Jason Magbanua), Mica and I were excited to say the least.

As we trooped to Fully Booked High Street’s rooftop, we didn’t know what to expect, except for the fact that Thunderbird Resorts was the brainchild in conceptualizing the Power 7 book and that it paid tribute to 7 of the most powerful innovators of the wedding scene.

As Mica went up to the registration table, and scanned the book, for some reason she had an inkling that our Bora wedding will be in it—and true enough, Jason himself, handpicked it as one of his top 3 favorite weddings! BEYOND WORDS!!!

My husband was so excited by this that he kept on asking me to have the book signed by Jason! And when I told him to just approach him, he was being all shy about it haha!

How much do you guys reckon this will be worth years from now? PRICELESS

I literally had to speed-read this book just so we can give it a proper blog feature as soon as possible!

What have I personally learned from this book? First of all, we are lucky to have already worked with 2 out of the Power 7 (that’s Jason and K by Kaye Cunanan). The other 5, after reading through their stories, their work ethic, and their body of work, are making me dream of someday working with them. Specifically, my usual “topak” brain is making me visualize a trash the dress shoot with Dino Lara and Oly Ruiz considering I already have 5 wedding gowns to-date. Hahahah! And of course I would absolutely LOVE to have a rebellious photo shoot with them for the blog!

Second of all, this book, which is obviously a great marketing and branding tool for Thunderbird, is an eye-popper for great brands/clients who are willing to push the envelope, support an industry, and take a risk.

And lastly, while this book pretty much looks very classic in nature, upon readingthe Power 7’s stories and how they pretty much shook the industry is a testament to howrebelliousideas come a long way. With that, let me share some of the Power 7’s portfolio in the book—which we picked on the basis of its creativity, whimsy, and rebellious nature :)

Ernest Pascual – Wedding Coordinator

Photo by MetroPhoto

*A little commentary here: we get a lot of emails from Rebellious Brides readers asking us to recommend wedding planners. And unanimously, when I ask the most influential people in the industry on who they would personally recommend for a creative wedding, hands down they recommend Ernest Pascual. Also, I have not personally had the honor to work with him just yet, but through K by Cunanan, he somehow had a “hand” in our June wedding as well. And it was absolutely beautiful!

Photo by Dino Lara

Dino Lara – Wedding Photographer

Photo by Dino Lara

*A little commentary here: learned A LOT about Dino in this book. Some of the most interesting things I learned about him apart from being the one to pioneer the digitized albums, the photojournalist wedding style, and being awarded as the best photog in the world was that of how he played as one of his bride’s confidante and source of strength during the Manila Peninsula Hostage taking. Now THAT’S what I call genuine commitment and relationship between a client and a wedding partner.

Oly Ruiz – Photographer

Photo by Oly Ruiz

*A little commentary here: I first learned of MetroPhoto when one of our closest couple friends got them for their wedding. When I saw the slideshow, I was so in AWE of their photos that for a split second I wished I booked them for our own wedding haha. But of course we were happy with our photog—but nevertheless, I truly wish to be able to work with Oly someday too. Learned a lot about Oly in this book too such as how one of his goals was to create a distinct style for MetroPhoto so much so that when you put it side by side a different photo, you would know which one is theres—and they have definitely done just that!

Kaye Cunanan – Wedding Stylist/Caterer

*A little commentary here: Well first of all, we have a long, overdue write-up on K since we actually put her in our Rebellious Bunch list. Haha! Each time someone asks me to personally recommend a caterer, I always have high praises for Kaye, even when I haven’t had the chance to personally work with her yet. And when we DID get her for the June wedding, she was definitely one of the best parts of that wedding. We never met her personally though, because it was my parents who planned the wedding—but I was adamant on getting her, and she was also adamant in emailing me directly too (despite my lack of involvement in the wedding). And just through emails and pegs, she nailed how I exactly wanted our table setting to look like. I am just simply…a fan!

Veluz Puno-Reyes – Bridal Couturier

Photo by Mango Red

*A little commentary here: I have a friend who literally cried and felt like her dream wedding crashed down when she learned that Veluz was no longer available to create her gown. And as I read her story from this book, all the more was I inspired by her story. In this designer conscious-infested country, in which for so many eras it was monopolized by an elite few, I truly admire how Veluz was able to make a name for herself.

Teddy Manuel – Florist/Event Stylist

Photo by Nelwin Uy

*A little commentary here: Each time I would look at magazines and blogs and be in awe of a wedding’s styling or flowers, chances are, when I look at the credits it would have Teddy Manuel on it. What I truly admire is his range—he can definitely do the opulent, the classic, and the sophisticated, no doubt about that. But he can also surprise and delight with whimsy, quirky, and refreshing ideas. What I have also noticed is that traditional brides have learned to let go and be a little bit more dramatic and secretly rebellious just by getting Teddy Manuel, and for that I totally admire him!